Category: Multimedia

There isn’t a new abortion diary entry this week. I’ll be posting a new story on Tuesday, January 3rd, and return to our weekly schedule. Until then listen to over 140 stories that have already been posted on The Abortion Diary, and listen to this new audio mosaic of some Abortion Diary story-sharers talking about why they want to share their stories.

Thank you for listening, and have a safe and happy New Years. ~ Melissa

Help us continue to break the silence in 2017 by donating to The Abortion Diary today.

Yesterday, I celebrated the one year anniversary of The Abortion Diary by speaking at Florida Gulf Coast University. It was a packed house! We discussed abortion access, our beliefs, abortion story-sharing and the power of sharing our stories. We also shared our own stories and experiences with each other.

I am stunned by all that this year has brought. 100 stories have been shared with me for The Abortion Diary in the last year. This is a big deal for me because when I came up with this idea, this podcast on abortion stories, I was pretty sure no one would share their story with me. I’m so grateful to them all. They’ve given all of us such a gift. We are fortunate to be able to listen to them. Thank you to all The Abortion Diary story-sharers (all 100 of you) for the gift of your stories, and for being brave and badass. And Thank you all for listening.

As I sat at her kitchen table, Amanda shared her story with me as her five year old son ate breakfast and played with his legos in another room.Before I knocked on her door in Portland, Oregon that morning, we were both complete strangers to one another. She was the 42nd person to share her story with me.

Someone recently told me that every trip is part of the journey. My life journey took a major detour a year ago. I was supposed to be a college professor. I spent eight years in a Ph.D. program where I sat in libraries surrounded by stacks of books and stood in classrooms full of college students. I became a historian. I learned to read about people found in the brown, torn pages I uncovered in hot, dusty archives and tell those stories. One day I realized I needed to tell my own story and listen to the voices of other people as they shared their own stories in their own words.